Baru’s book on PM ‘fundamentally contradicting’, says Tharoor

New Delhi: Terming Sanjaya Baru’s book on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ‘fundamentally contradicting’, Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor has questioned how the details could be true when the author himself was not associated with the PMO during the tenure of UPA-II.

"Baru has praised the PM and the government during the UPA-I when he used to be the PM's advisor between 2004-2008, ironically, he raised his concerns on the same PM when he left the office. So, I find the book fundamentally contradicting," Tharoor said.

He told reporters here after the launch of a book ‘The New Indian Middle Class, the Challenge of 2014 and Beyond’ written by former diplomat Pavan K Varma.

Citing the book which talks about the Indian middle class, the senior Congress leader, without naming anyone or any political party, said people should not rely on one who makes ‘false’ promises by painting a picture as the issues that could be solved overnight.

"The middle class is capable of utilizing its energy and anxiety in right direction, it is passionate about every issue it is facing. Since the class is going to play an integral role in the general elections, they need to be cautious," Tharoor said.

Lauding Varma for highlighting the issues, the scenario and the position of the Indian middle class in his book, he said the former has successfully compiled their causes in an excellent manner which is highly appreciated.

Speaking on the occasion, Varma said the Indian middle class, which is around 250 million in strength, is passionate and angry. “They want to get engaged with the issues affecting their lives but at the same time, they expect someone would come with a magic wand and would address their issues overnight,” said Verma.

"When Anna Hazare raised the concerns related to the middle class, they united and thronged the streets to support him, expecting a sudden change. They also showed their anger during Nirbhaya protest in Delhi,” he added.

Verma further said, “This is not a political book but has a political message for people.”